Sarah Dougher is an author, teacher, and singer-songwriter from Portland, O… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Dougher is an author, teacher, and singer-songwriter from Portland, OR. Besides recording several solo albums, she has also played in The Lookers, The Crabs, and Cadallaca; she teaches a college course in ancient civilizations; she is the program manager of the Rock-n-Roll Summer Camp for Girls in Portland; is the author of Sent Out On the Tracks They Built: Sinophobia in Olympia, 1886, and the co-author of XXX: The Power of Sex in Contemporary Design, and 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers.

Her solo work includes Handmade Luck, Day One, and The Walls Ablaze. She also appears on several Crabs albums, and released an album and an EP in Cadallaca, a side project which includes Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker.

My Kingdom
Sarah Dougher Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When i wanted you, you faked it
What does it take to really make it with you. anyway
Now you're so far away

I'm on the porch
The night's a throne
I'm sitting on it, all alone

And it wasn't that hard to tell
I can't hide that kind of thing very well
And you always say you know what i'm thinking, anyway

I'm on the porch
The night's a throne
I'm sitting on it, all alone

And the oak tree
And the river
And the train
And the wind makes them sound just the same
And the train takes my crown into the night
And the moon takes my scepter for its light

But i'm not much for distances
But i know what the difference is
Between my heart and my brain
And my heart wins just the same

I'm on the porch
The night's a throne
I'm sitting on it, all alone

And i'm not much for distances
But i know what the difference is
Between my heart and my brain
And my heart wins just the same

I'm on the porch
The night's a throne
I'm sitting on it, all alone

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Overall Meaning

In "My Kingdom," Sarah Dougher sings about the pain of unrequited love and the insurmountable distance between two individuals. The opening lines speak to the disappointment of wanting someone who didn't reciprocate those feelings. The singer is left wondering what it would take to make a connection and forge a real relationship. The distance between the two seems not only physical but also emotional, with the object of the singer's affection being "so far away."

As the song unfolds, the singer finds themselves sitting alone on a porch, with the night acting as a throne. The repetition of this imagery throughout the song suggests a sense of isolation and detachment from others. The natural elements of the oak tree, river, and train create a soundscape that mirrors the singer's feelings of loneliness and frustration. The train takes away the singer's crown, perhaps symbolizing a loss of power or control, while the moon takes their scepter, implying a surrender to the forces of nature and fate.

The final lines drive home the message of the song. Despite knowing that there is a distance between their heart and their brain, the heart always wins. The singer might not be able to change the situation or the feelings of the other person, but they know what their heart wants. "My Kingdom" paints a vivid picture of the pain of unrequited love and the great lengths to which we will go to try to bridge those divides.

Line by Line Meaning

When i wanted you, you faked it
When I needed you, you pretended to love me.

What does it take to really make it with you. anyway
What should I do to make our relationship work?

Now you're so far away
Now that you're not with me, I miss you so much.

I'm on the porch
I'm seated outside my house.

The night's a throne
The night is quiet and peaceful.

I'm sitting on it, all alone
I'm lonely, with no one to keep me company.

And it wasn't that hard to tell
It was easy to notice that you were pretending to love me.

I can't hide that kind of thing very well
I can't conceal my feelings well.

And you always say you know what i'm thinking, anyway
You say you understand my thoughts, even when I don't voice them out.

And the oak tree
The tree in my vicinity

And the river
The water body flowing nearby.